KUALA LUMPUR: There is ample room for historical research which can be used to explain the diverse roles of Indians in the country's development to all Malaysians.Leading historian Tan Sri Prof Emeritus Khoo Kay Kim said yesterday most studies on the community to date concentrated on plantation workers.

"There were many urban Indians who were pro-minent, but they have been omitted from Malaysian history," he said. "If there is no proper historical perspective of the Indian community's role, there will always be unnecessary tension and misunderstanding affecting their well-being."

Khoo, speaking at the launch of a book entitled, Women Against The Raj by Prof Joyce Chapman Lebra, said young Malaysians needed to look at the country's history, citing Chapman Lebra's book as a good place to start.

The book outlines the struggles of Indian women from Malaysia who joined the Indian National Army to oust the British colonial rulers.Khoo said Indians were a complex people who needed to be studied from a proper historical perspective, adding that many of the problems of the community could be solved this way.

He said it would not be good for the country if Indians felt that they were being left out of development and were misunderstood.